Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1887-09-29

quick, Tad! he exclaimed, ~ M AZ
itatcd whisper, "end then y0u 20 ahead
20 the brcpk may be l can get of
bimcsby Il don't hurt much Of any,
with this added Joe. with a rather
sickly smile. MS he touched the small ot
his back significantly. "only I've got
10 get a new picco II pastoboard-this
is pretty nigh Worn out"
"Are you coming, JosephPn
The voice was Deacon Whiincy's,
and sounded from the wood-shud eldse
by. Tad fed igromlnlensly through
the rear barn door while Joe rcluct-
antly obcyod the dircful summons Not
that Deacon Whitney was unreason-
ably harsh or stern. Indeed. his wife
said; "Joo's thrashin's hurt the deacon
n dretful sight moron ,hry did Joe. -
which was doubtless true. The boy
knew that his father loved him sin
ccrely. and that the whippings were
not given in anger. but from a sense Of
duty, and, though he would willingly
have dispensed with them, Joe never
cherished the slightest feelings ofangcr
or resentment, after the first smart had
passed away.
Leaving Joe TO his impending tate,
Tad climbed the barn-ycI,l fence, and
with a jubilant feeling uf gladncSs,
which was only shaduwcd by the oc-
casional thought Of his new friends
disappointment, made his way down
across the deacon's meadows, " the
brock.
Tad knew nothing whatever about
rout-iish'ug, Us matter of course.
He had caught founders and ounncrs
from the piers, like most city boys
but only those. lloweveN ha h.d n
general idea 0t soma Of the require
men,e for tho plscatorial art. So, with
a vury light heart, he followed the
mill brook" as Il was called. through
a field and an adjoining pasture, till he
came to an alder swamp. where, hay
ing cut pole, Tad sat himself down to
shape and trim it,
Well, il was indeed a lovely morn.
ing. The sky above him, feckpd with
drifting white clouds, was Vt the deep
est blue, the mir soft and spring-likc,
and thc peaceful stiffness unbrokcn
only by the occasional cawing Of crows
or scream Of bluciay.
Tad sat drinking in the beauty NJ the
time and place, softly Whistling to him
self rs he worked, and thought over the
many strange things that had come in
10 his life in one short week. aud all
because an abscnt-mindcd man had left
his travcling.sachel on The seat in
railroad station,
why, 1t just seems as though I'd
been swoppcd OF for somebody else"
he said, with a great sigh Of thankful
ness. And though, as might he eN-
pected, Tad Thorne's religious knowl-
edge was of the vaguest possible order.
he somehow felt his heart going ont
thankfully 10 the Maker Of such a
beautiful world.
There" said Tad, rs, finishing trim.
ming the pole he iUse to his feet and
brushed oil the twigs. 'now for the
trout.n
The brook went dancing and laugh
ing along at his side. with here and
there a mimic waterfall. at the foot Of
which the foam und bubbles drifted
about in ffothy masses.
With fingers trembling n little with
excitement, Tad fastened his line. with
its heavy sinker and hook large enough
for black bass, 10 the end Of tho pole.
Adjusting the bait, he threw his line
into the deepest part of the pool.
Il guess 1t isn't a very good day for
trout, any way" he murmurcd. after
about five minutes of letting his line
drift along in the current, and pulling
1t up again. But stopl little tug AZ
the hook sent thrill from his finger
tips 10 his toes! With a jerk that
would have landed a three-pound trout,
Tad pulled out club about four inches
long, which, with hook, line and sink
er. was Immediately cntangled in the
alder branches over his head, requiring
some zen minutes Of pcrspiring effort to
clear il.
Trout amt as big as thought for"
he said, half aloud, as lac surveyed his
prize. at must take an awful lot Of
'em TO make a mess" Tad added.
gravely, as he strung the small fish on
twig, and made his way lit;le fur
thcr upstream, in his ignorance pass
ing over the deep pools and swelling
oddics, which are generally the lurk-
ing-places Of the spotted beauties.
by eleven o'clock. Tad, who had
caught seven chubs, each about finger
in length. began to think that the
charm Of trouting had been consider
ably oyerstatcd. IL was rather early
in the season for mosquitoes, yet there
were quite enough Of them about TO
make it quite lively for fisherman.
lie had ascended the brook about two
miles, and was tired and decidedly
hungry; and. moreover, he found him
self right in the heart If what seemed
10 Tad's maccustomed eyes bound
less forest.
Sitting down on a stump, Tad gazcd
about him, wondering ut the solemn
silence Overhead, the wind sighed
softly through the tops Of the great
pines. Red squirrels chittered in the
spruce and hcmlock trees, and par
ticularly venturesome one dropped
cone from an overlIanging bough at his
very feet, vanishing among the branches
with wonderful swftness, as Tad
looked suddenly up. A partridge
drummed in the distance, aud a wood
chuck scampcred rapidly through the
underbrush at a little way oif
II wonder II there are any bears in
these woods" tho'ight Tad, with an
uncomfortable thrill peryading his
frame at the bcdr possibility. I'D